SVG Sit-Down: Nick Baily, Dan Pack Parse AE Live’s Acquisition of Silver Spoon

The deal adds real-time virtual-production to the graphics producer’s capabilities

Last month, AE Live made a massive splash in the sports-broadcast-graphics sector by acquiring Silver Spoon, which specializes in real-time virtual-production content on Unreal Engine.

With virtual-production, AR, and XR technologies growing exponentially in recent years, Silver Spoon has been among the leaders in bringing these immersive technologies to such events as working with CBS Sports and Nickelodeon on multiple NFL alternative broadcasts.

In addition to boosting virtual-production capabilities, AE Live expects the acquisition to further expand its presence in the U.S. broadcast market and increase its foothold throughout India, Southeast Asia, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Silver Spoon’s integration into the AE Live Group follows that of New Zealand–based Ignite, a creative studio in APAC acquired by AE Live in 2020.

SVG sat down with AE Live CEO Nick Baily and Silver Spoon Managing Director Dan Pack to discuss why the deal made sense for both parties, what new and existing U.S. sports-production customers can expect from the union, how Ignite and Silver Spoon expect to team up, and how they see the sports-broadcast-graphics market evolving in the coming years.

AE Live’s Nick Baily: “The deal will help signal to the U.S. market that AE Live is here to stay.”

Why did this deal make sense for AE Live? What key aspects persuaded you to move forward with the acquisition?
Baily: We have admired Silver Spoon’s work for some time and, when we became aware of the possibility to acquire, were keen to engage and learn more about the business. As soon as we spent time with Dan and the team, it became clear that they will be a great fit for AE Live as we share many of the same values and goals. I know they will further enhance our already broad offering to our global clients with their highly creative and innovative solutions and that the deal will also help signal to the U.S. market that AE Live is here to stay.

And why did this deal make sense for Silver Spoon? What will your team be able to accomplish that they wouldn’t have before?
Pack: For me, it’s always about growth: growing our work and client base in the U.S. and internationally, growing our understanding of the industry, growing our capabilities, and, most important, growing and expanding our talent’s skills and professional experience. As a part of AE, we have the opportunity to do all of that faster with more efficiency and support than we would have on our own. We’re in a time of fervent innovation and adoption of new techniques, especially virtual and real-time, and it’s direly important to me that we are on the front lines. With their experience running graphics on thousands of live broadcasts with sports ranging from basketball and football to Kabaddi and cricket, we instantly gain a wealth of knowledge and resources that we can apply to our own R&D and innovation efforts.

How will we see AE Live’s presence in the U.S. grow as a result of this deal?
Baily: AE Live is still relatively new to the U.S. despite having been involved in some major events already, but we are here to stay and are looking forward to showing the market a lot more of what we have in our armory. We believe there is a desire from U.S. broadcasters and federations for more creative and proactive partners with the broad scope of services that we are able to provide to help with their storytelling. And, of course, Silver Spoon will offer new ways to further that fan engagement.

On a more practical front, the acquisition affords us an established New York base and infrastructure whilst also providing synergies across hardware and operational resources. We have picked up a number of new contracts in recent months, have developed a suite of football solutions, and are now actively building out our operational resources to enable us to deliver these services to our clients.

Silver Spoon’s Dan Pack: “With [AE Live’s] experience running graphics on thousands of live broadcasts, we instantly gain a wealth of knowledge and resources.”

How do you think the newly combined entity creates a better value proposition for U.S. sports broadcasters specifically?
Pack: Stronger, better, faster. It’s no secret that Unreal has become a mainstay for graphics, and now, with the release of Avalanche, there is an even greater need for these services, education, and training on the development, workflow, and operation sides.

As experts in branding, operation, data, and development with offices on nearly every continent, the AE Live Group becomes a single resource and a company that can capably, reliably, and cost-effectively manage all ends of the process, whenever, wherever.

Do you see the virtual production and AR/MR/XR sector as a valuable market and/or key growth area in the coming years?
Baily: I believe that, when it’s done well, AR/MR/XR can provide a more impactful and interesting way to present key information and data sets to consumers. I do believe this market will grow as fans come to expect the same level of immersive data experience they see across other mediums. My belief is that most broadcasters want to use AR but many have put it in the “too hard” basket. By that, I mean, when they balance the cost, the technical complexity, and the level of effort and engagement required against the actual output, it doesn’t always stack up favorably. Where we can help is by offering that one-stop solution, one that solves the creative, technical, and operational challenges that are always faced with these projects and allow the production teams to get on with what they do best.

Pack: Absolutely, the opportunities are endless. We’re seeing such rapid acceleration in the use of the technology as companies like us have shown it can be trusted. For so many years, there was always a seed of doubt that AR wouldn’t work when you cut to it or that pulling off an XR shoot was too complicated and time-consuming, but the tech and the systems are becoming bullet-proof and, with it, [come] experienced operators and engineers that can support it.

How do you see the broadcast-graphics industry evolving overall in the coming year, and how will this union better prepare you for that?
Baily: The industry is constantly evolving, and the landscape of broadcast rights and distribution is seeing major shifts, including many new players in the space that don’t have experience or in-house resources to produce content. The key for AE Live is being able to offer a broad and, crucially, flexible range of services that can be adapted for the unique requirements of each rights property. The acquisition of Silver Spoon simply extends our offering in the virtual space, helping us ensure that we lead the way in effective and innovative sports-data visualization.